Mental health advocates are urging for greater action to address a growing mental health crisis among young Australians, as new research highlights the gap between public perception and the reality of mental health funding.
Research commissioned by Orygen, published on Wednesday, found Australians vastly overestimate the amount of the health budget allocated to mental health. Surveying over 2,000 respondents, it found people believe 22 per cent of health budgets are earmarked for mental health and 34 per cent of the budget should be devoted to mental health.
Unfortunately, the actual figure sits at just eight per cent.
These findings are fueling urgent calls for greater investment to support this key area, according to Professor Patrick McGorry, executive director at Orygen.
“There is a deep silence from Canberra when it comes to youth mental health, but what our surveys clearly show is that Australians understand there is a crisis and they want it taken seriously,” McGorry said.
“Australians have been suffering in silence, but at last, they have found their voice. There is a clear mandate here: Australians, across all demographics, overwhelmingly support greater investment in youth mental health.”
The six-point plan hopes to build and retain a youth mental health workforce. (Source: iStock Images)
The major health crisis is impacting life expectancy and reducing productivity, he observed, urging lawmakers to act now as investments announced so far will have “very limited effect on this crisis”.
In the lead-up to the federal election — slated for on or before 17 May — mental health is proving to be a key issue. Around 80 per cent of voters are concerned about mental health and nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) say they are more likely to back parties committed to increasing mental health funding to improve access to services, per RedBridge research.
Calls for free mental health care
The research follows recent calls from a number of youth organisations who’ve called on Australia’s politicians to make mental health care free for everyone under the age of 25.
A six-point plan was put forward by organisations including Mental Health Australia, headspace, Black Dog Institute, ReachOut Australia towards strengthening Australia’s youth mental health system.
Current mental health funding may be failing to address Australian youth’s needs. (Image source: iStock Images)
This includes providing free access to mental health care for all children and young people through community-based support, peer-to-peer, prevention, early intervention and postvention.
They’ve called for specialist support to address the ‘missing middle’ and ensure all young people with more serious and complex mental health needs are able to access to mental health services.
The plan includes increased access to culturally safe and appropriate mental health and suicide prevention initiatives for all young people, with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people through initiatives designed and led by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
It seeks to develop a skilled youth mental health workforce, particularly in regional, rural, and outer metro settings, which would also involve investments in digital mental health services towards 24/7 support, and leveraging emerging technologies like AI.
There are also calls to increase funding for mental health promotion and prevention, including full implementation of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
In light of recent government legislation to ban Australians under the age of 16 from social media platforms, the plan seeks to collaborate with the youth mental health sector to develop measures such as access to safe and supportive online spaces.
Professor Samuel Harvey, executive director and chief scientist at the Black Dog Institute, remarked that for the first time in history, Australians are beginning to “hand down worse mental health outcomes to future generations”.
“This is in stark contrast to the intergenerational improvements we are seeing for most other health conditions. This bold call from Mental Health Australia is exactly what’s needed to ensure no young person goes without the care they need,” Harvey said.
Two in five young people experience mental health issues, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2020-2022).
Some 40 per cent of Australians have experienced mental health issues, according to research. (Source: iStock Images)
Unfortunately, cost proves to be a significant barrier in accessing care, and one in five people have delayed or avoided seeking mental health care due to cost, noted Emma Greeney, director of policy and advocacy at Mental Health Australia.
“This is an opportunity for our next government to show real leadership and take decisive action to prevent future generations from falling through the cracks,” Greeney said in a statement.
“With the next federal election imminent, MHA is urging all political parties to commit to deeper investment to provide pathways for free mental health care for children and young Australians.”
While ambitious, the plan is “deeply necessary,” Greeney added.
Mental health is also proving to be a key election issue, with around 80 per cent of voters concerned about mental health and nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) stating they are more likely to back parties committed to increasing mental health funding to improve access to services, per RedBridge research.
Lead image: iStock
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